Board/Management Relations

The Co-op Manager Shortage

The horror stories abound: Ivy Leaguers flipping fries. Dot-com darlings begging for work. A six percent unemployment rate. It's no secret that the New York job market is in the intensive care unit right now. So then how is it possible that co-op management agencies are taking out full-page wanted ads and offering hefty signing bonuses for qualified (and sometimes even less-than-qualified) recruits? Read More

Board/Building Harmony

As an attorney who represents co-op boards, building managers and shareholders, one sometimes wonders if the expression—“ You can’t please all the people all of the time” best applies to the idea of creating harmony between these parties. However, I believe that there is hope and that you can try to please more of the people more of the time, if you just listen to what they are saying and respond promptly. Read More

Come to Order!

Come to Order! Read More

Noise, Graffiti and a Greener Environment

In its last meeting of 2005, the New York City Council enacted legislation to make the city a quieter, cleaner and more environmentally-friendly place to live. Perhaps one of the major initiatives sought by the mayor’s office was revising the city’s 30-year old noise code. Honking horns, noisy refuse trucks, construction clamor, boom boxes and car alarms are just some of the undeniable facts of life in living in the city that never sleeps. However, residents may sleep a little quieter when that outdoor noise, music and even barking dogs are muzzled by new restrictions that carry fines ranging from $50 to $8,000 depending on the nature of the offense. Read More

While You Were Out

Mel Garskof is thrilled about the lobby makeover that will happen in the coming year at the Kips Bay area cooperative building where he lives. The public halls will be renovated, including new wallpaper and carpet, doors will be repainted, new molding will be applied and the spacious lobby will be reconfigured to include mailboxes and additional security measures. Read More

Strategies of Success

Property managers have a lot on their minds. There are board meetings to attend, legal issues to wade through, phone calls to return, emails to answer and a constant parade of maintenance issues to contend with at any given time. The job is tough -- especially if the person with the job is interested in going above and beyond the call of duty. What are the qualities of a good property manager? And what makes a good manager great? Read More

The Long and Short of It

Every co-op or condo community in New York City has its own personality and character, from the tiny 20-unit brownstone co-ops of the West Village to the towering modern high-rises of the Upper East Side. The wide range of sizes, demographics, expectations, and overall building personalities poses a special challenge to managing agents, whose portfolios might include both a 20-unit prewar and a 200-unit high-rise. Read More

Avoiding Management Mistakes

Mistakes happen - they're part of everybody's learning curve. There are plenty of opportunities to make mistakes in the course of running a residential building; in nearly three decades in the building operations field, I've both made and been witness to quite a few of them myself. The trick, however, is to minimize the impact of our mistakes and make sure we don't make the same one more than once. Below you'll find a short list of some of the mistakes I've seen happen again and again in buildings all over the city, along with tips on how to avoid such problems in your own building community. Read More

Disseminating Information

There's a lot of paperwork that's involved in running a co-op or condo building - everything from financial records to legal documents, shareholder correspondence and management statements from board meetings - and it's important that the documents are available to the board and shareholders when needed. While it's up to the managing agent to keep this material organized and secure, sometimes copies of the paperwork can also be found in the co-op office itself. Read More

The Debate Goes On

Six years ago, a scandal rocked the New York State real estate management industry for the second time in a decade. Thirty management company owners, agents and contractors were indicted for taking kickbacks for contract work at many New York City co-ops and condo buildings. Read More

Listen to This!

Just as the world is populated with both good and bad people, New York City is populated by some excellently run and well-organized co-op and condo boards, and some not so efficient. Making unpopular decisions doesn't necessarily mean a board is incompetent - virtually every decision made is going to have its detractors - but making popular decisions just to avoid controversy may not be in the best interests of the shareholders and the cooperative corporation either. Read More

Time for a Change?

Since management companies foster a competitive environment, co-op and condominium buildings expect a high level of service from their managing agent. However, when agents aren't showing the care and attention buildings deserve, or some sort of mismanagement is suspected, boards might very well decide it's time for a change. Read More

The Two-Way Street

The old adage that knowledge is power holds doubly true when it comes to assuring ethical conduct and adherence to bylaws by a governing board, regardless of the size of a community size or the severity of a given crisis. Read More

Chief Trailblazers

While other industries have been more difficult to penetrate, many areas of the fast-paced world of real estate have long been the professional domain of women. The past two decades have witnessed an influx of women as innovators in their fields, blazing a trail for women of today to follow in a competitive, high-stakes industry. The Cooperator spoke with a few of these industry pioneers about their roots, their work, and how they've successfully navigated the changing waters of New York real estate. Read More

Hands On or Off?

It pays to have a competent, active board at the helm of a building community - a strong, stable board translates to better value for shareholders. But just how hands-on should a board be? Sometimes the daily management of a co-op or condo is best left in the hands of a managing agent. However, other situations may require not only the board's involvement, but also that of outside legal counsel. Effective management ultimately comes down to teamwork and communication. Read More

Coming Clean

Two condos are the same price, in the same neighborhood, and are equally pleasing to the eye. What makes someone buy one and not the other? Amenities. One of the most important amenities for many homebuyers is an on-site laundry room. No one wants to drag three loads of socks, towels and unmentionables to the nearest laundromat every Saturday, then spend their afternoon sitting and waiting for a lukewarm dryer. To someone looking for convenience, an on-site laundry is a big plus - meaning that buildings that offer on-site laundry facilities are offering residents added value and convenience. And that's always a good thing. Read More

The Dream Team

Oftentimes, co-op shareholders forget that their building is not only a home, but also a business. And while running a home is a big responsibility in itself, with financial, legal, and managerial elements, running a cooperative corporation is even tougher. With most board members acting as volunteer directors who may or may not have inside knowledge of the day-to-day concerns facing their home/business, it's vital that every board has a team of skilled, competent professionals to help when things get complicated - and to try and avoid complication in the first place. Choosing such professionals to help guide your building is a tall order, but if you know what to look for, what questions to ask, and what you can and should expect from your hired pros, the task is a little less daunting. Read More

Stand in Judgment

Every home is an investment, but for co-op shareholders - and, to some extent, condominium unit owners - their home is also part of a business. As with any business, good management can make or break it and in a co-op or condominium, a big part of that management team is the building's board of directors. Like any corporation, the board has a fiduciary responsibility to shareholders to oversee building operations and finances. But when shareholders are also neighbors, and when quality of the living environment can be affected by the board's decisions, the stakes are high and board members must remember to keep a keen business sense and not be ruled by their personal feelings. Read More

Playing Nice

Some relationships seem destined for rocky paths. Brothers and sisters. Mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law. Sponsors and boards. Although certainly not all board and sponsor relationships travel the bumpy road, many do. Understanding the whys and hows behind that discord can go a long way toward preventing trouble - or mending fences and setting a smoother future course for relationships that already have gotten off to a poor start. Read More

From the Co-op to the Classroom

With today's ever-changing building codes, laws and technology, a managing agent's job is becoming more complex than it was several decades ago. Today's agent has a multitude of responsibilities, including supervision of all aspects of the building, managing contracts, budgets, tenant relations, and more. Read More

Keeping an Eye Out

New Yorkers have always been vigilant in keeping themselves and their apartments as secure as possible. The doorman, security guard, building superintendent or concierge is traditionally the first line of defense in controlling the cadre of visitors, residents, building staff and delivery people that routinely enter a co-op or condo building each day. But, especially in the aftermath of September 11th, building owners, managing agents and residents can no longer be complacent that an appropriate level of security is being provided. And how does one keep their building reasonably secure without installing the technological equivalent of Fort Knox? Read More

Can You Manage?

When the term "service provider"� is used in reference to real estate, usually people take it to mean laundry facility or storage-locker companies, or maybe the firm that runs your building's in-house fitness center. The term isn't often applied to managing agents"¦ although perhaps it should be. After all, your building's managing agent is the professional at the top of the pyramid when it comes to interacting directly with all those other professionals on behalf of your board and residents. Read More

Don't Be a Pest

Few things are more important for a building than having a competent managing agent willing to work closely with board members to make their home a safe, harmonious place to live. A big part of any good managing agent’s job is to be "on call" when emergencies arise, and to address board members’ concerns about their building. When board members show disrespect for their managing agent’s time and professional expertise, however–by calling them at home with problems that could be addressed the next business day, or constantly bothering them with minor concerns–they strain the relationship with their agent and hobble the agent’s ability to get things done. While it is crucial that board members feel free to talk to their managing agents to voice their questions and concerns, it’s also important for them to understand both the point at which constant phone calls become counterproductive, and the ways in which they can cultivate a positive relationship with their building manager. Read More

Keeping it Copacetic

All relationships–even the healthiest ones–need constant care and maintenance. Whether it’s person-to-person or business-to-client, relationships must be cultivated in order to thrive–a fact that holds doubly true for the crucial connection between co-op and condo boards and their managing agents. Read More

New Year, New Deal

We all know how it goes. All year long, you let things slide a little here and there–an extra handful of chips here, putting off changing your oil there–until by the time the New Year rolls around, you’re battling ten extra pounds and your engine sounds like it’s full of dried peas. Swear all the solemn oaths you want… it’s hard to make New Year’s resolutions stick. Read More

Working with Professionals

Most co-op and condo dwellers are well aware of the responsibilities held and services provided by their building’s top-tier contractors–otherwise known as the managing agent, the accountant and the attorney. Working as a team, this group of people facilitates the more abstract aspects of running a multi-family residence; addressing board and tenant issues, balancing the books, and keeping the whole endeavor within the letter of the law. A co-op or condo is more than just a home, however. It is also a business that employs vendors and contractors, and residents can only benefit from familiarizing themselves with the independent contractors who provide their buildings with common in-house services like laundry rooms, gyms, and basement storage facilities. Read More

Do-It-Yourself Management

To self manage or not to self manage? It’s akin, in some respects, to the half-century old question of manual versus automatic transmission. Sure, the automatic is easier to drive, but the manual provides more control. And sometimes a co-op or condo board–just like a sports car driver–wants a little more control. Read More

What's the Agenda?

Board meetings provide the time and space for co-op and condo leaders to establish and direct building operations. "Every board has its own distinct group personality," observes Howard Schechter, a partner in the Manhattan law firm of Schechter Brucker, PC, "and it’s important to fit the format of the meeting to the personality of the group." For example, some boards are very effective in the most informal of settings, and can meet in someone’s apartment and make decisions over coffee and cake. Others may need a more rigid structure, such as a meeting room within the building or at management’s offices, to stay focused. "The most successful boards are those in which the members put their personal feelings aside and treat each other with respect even if they disagree," says Schechter. To make sure your meetings are on the productive side of the coin, keeping them running smoothly and efficiently, it is important that the board follow certain guidelines. Read More

The Board/Manager Team

Much has been written recently about the management industry indictments, the role of the managing agent and how to monitor management. Little has been said, however, about what it takes to make a board/manager relationship work. The managing agent and board of directors are a team working together to operate the building in the most efficient, yet highest quality manner possible. Like any team, they must rely on one another and know what the other needs and expects in order to work effectively. Read More

Large vs. Small

Peculiar as it may sound, the union of a building and management company can be likened to a marriage: the mate that suits you best might be incompatible with your friend. Likewise, a management company that works well for one building might not work for another. "Each co-op building is like a different human being," says Greg Carlson, president of Carlson Realty Inc., a co-op management and consulting firm in Queens. "Each one’s needs may be different." Read More

Preserving Institutional Memory

Your Building's Past Provides Valuable Information

The World on their Shoulders

If your planner or BlackBerry is full of to-do lists and scheduling conflicts, if you're often running up against deadlines and your cell phone rings constantly, you've got a lot in common with a New York property manager. Read More

When to Call Your Managing Agent...

Whenever a problem arises, board members often have a knee-jerk reaction to call their managing agent immediately. In many cases, this is appropriate. But although it might be part of their job to communicate with the board, managing agents might not be able to respond to every call right away. And if your board is calling too frequently, your persistence might begin to irk your manager and put a strain on your working relationship. Read More

What Makes a Good Property Manager?

A good property manager is like a hip dad. He or she may not say things like, "Hey pal, whatcha say we go toss around the ol' pigskin?" but like a hip dad, a property manager needs to have a certain set of specific traits and other, harder-to-define skills in order to be successful. Read More

Coping From a Management Perspective

Lawsuits are an unfortunate, often expensive fact of life these days, and co-op and condo communities are not immune from seeing the inside of a courtroom, or at least a lawyer's office suite. An issue that arises between a resident and the board or between two or more residents can spiral out of control, wind up involving the managing agent, and end up in court. Then it becomes a battle of he-said/she-said until the lawsuit is over, a settlement is declared and it's back to building business as usual. Or is it? Read More